BABSON BRAND GUIDELINES SOCIAL MEDIA» MARCH 2016

BABSON BRAND GUIDELINES SOCIAL MEDIA» MARCH 2016

BABSON BRAND GUIDELINES SOCIAL MEDIA» 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 INTRODUCTION / BABSON SOCIAL MEDIA 5 CREATE AN ACCOUNT 5 Best Practices Overview 6 SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WORKSHEET 7 SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM ELEMENTS 7 Profile Photo 8 Cover Photo 9 Name of Account and Description 10 Posts and Content 12 YouTube and Flickr Content 14 RESOURCES WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 3

BABSON SOCIAL MEDIA BABSON S SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE REFLECTS OUR BRAND PERSONALITY: action-oriented, innovative, resourceful, collaborative, real-world, agile, and bold. As a reflection of Babson, social channels must follow photo direction and color choice, editorial tone, and logo usage within the full Babson brand guidelines to ensure consistency with other marketing materials and to extend and reinforce the Babson brand. This guide is a summary of brand applications in common social media platforms. Find the full Babson brand guidelines at www.babson.edu/brandguidelines. CREATING AN ACCOUNT? All new Babson-branded social media account requests must be reviewed and approved by College Marketing prior to account creation. 4

CREATE AN ACCOUNT CREATE AN ACCOUNT Once your account has received approval from the Chief Marketing Officer, read and continue to refer back to the Babson Social Media Policy and Social Media Best Practices documents as you create and maintain your account. Find both at www.babson.edu/brandguidelines. Remember: the social media world is no different than the in-person world. The same laws, rules, policies, guidelines, and best practices that govern our relationships with students, parents, alumni, the media, and the community all apply online. Faculty and staff are as responsible for their online posts as they are for their personal, verbal, or written interactions. BEST PRACTICES OVERVIEW Keep these points in mind when creating and maintaining your page:» EVERYTHING POSTED IS PUBLIC. / Assume that everything you are posting is public, is available to the public forever, and can spread further than you may intend.» YOUR OPINIONS ARE YOURS. / On Babson pages, post content that reflect the College s brand and messaging.» BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT PERSONAL LIFE AND BUSINESS LIFE. / Be careful about mixing personal views and activities with Babson-branded pages.» BE CAREFUL AND ACCURATE. / Check your facts, research references in advance, and review spelling and grammar before posting.» KNOW PRIVACY POLICIES. / Review the Babson Social Media Policy, as well as those of the social media platforms you are using.» PROTECT YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION. / Be careful about disclosing personal information that is not relevant to the branded page.» PROTECT YOUR PASSWORDS. / Only allow those who are posting on the page access to the password. For our full list of social media best practices, download the document at www.babson.edu/brandguidelines. WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 5

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WORKSHEET MY SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY / Account(s) / Platform(s): Primary Audience (pick ONE): Secondary Audiences: GOALS / AUDIENCE 1/ 2/ 3/ MEASUREMENT What are your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to measure the success of your social media efforts? You should have at least one metric for each goal. 1/ 2/ 3/ BEST PRACTICES FOR ENGAGEMENT» Post what your audience wants to see, not just want you want to post.» Maintain a conservative posting schedule, but post at least once every few days.» Vary your content (text, links, photos, videos, related content).» Use call-to-actions (questions, links).» Use a casual tone of voice.» Monitor posts; don t post then abandon!» Respond to questions. What works for YOUR audience? 6

PLATFORM ELEMENTS/ PROFILE PHOTO SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM ELEMENTS PROFILE PHOTO This image displaying in multiple sizes across the channel must clearly communicate what your group is and/or does. This may be a logo (with permission), text, or image, but must display well with the cover photo and on its own in the feed. PROFILE PHOTO RULES FOR A SUCCESSFUL PROFILE PHOTO» Choose an image that compliments the cover photo.» Use correct dimensions to avoid distortion. Do not distort or stretch images/art to fit. (see specification sheet.)» Remember this image is displayed at a smaller size in the feed and where you ve engaged with content including likes, comments, or retweets and in feeds of others. Test to ensure the content is still recognizable and impactful at smaller sizes.» Avoid including your account name in your profile photo. The profile photo always appears alongside your account name, so avoid repeating it, or using extensive text in the profile photo. WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 7

COVER PHOTO COVER PHOTO (OR HEADER) Make the most of your cover photo. It s your page s prime real estate. Keep in mind that in some platforms text or other elements will overlay your cover photo. Choose a photo that works well with these elements. COVER PHOTO/ HEADER RULES FOR A SUCCESSFUL COVER PHOTO» Use images that convey a story and that are compelling for the viewer.» Use correct dimensions. Do not distort or stretch photos to fit the space. (see spec sheet.)» Add text if needed, but keep in mind readability at various sizes for both desktop and mobile devices.» Keep text short and clear. Avoid URLs, as they are not active links (users cannot click on them) within the cover photo.» Find Babson-branded Facebook cover photos at www.babson.edu/ambassador. REVIEW YOUR ACCOUNT ON DESKTOP, TABLET, AND MOBILE DEVICES Most people use social media platforms on their mobile devices. And just because your profile and cover photos look good on your desktop, that doesn t mean they look the same on tablets and mobile devices. Review your account across devices after publishing, and adjust as needed. 8

NAME OF ACCOUNT AND DESCRIPTION NAME OF ACCOUNT AND DESCRIPTION Refer to Babson s editorial guidelines for tone when writing about the College, your department, or your group. Keep content sections consistent across all platforms. NAME ABOUT & URL DESCRIPTION & URL ABOUT SECTION/ Use the about section for a concise description of your department or group (12 15 words). URLS/ Add a URL at end of the about section. Use short, clear URLs when available. If no direct URL to a specific page is available, use www.babson.edu. DESCRIPTION/ Use the description area for a more comprehensive description of your group or department. This is where you can elaborate on the about section. If you are directing to a page with more information on the Babson site, you do not need to copy and paste the entire page within this section. Keep the description concise and use a URL to drive the user to more information. WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 9

POSTS AND CONTENT POSTS AND CONTENT Choose images and content that appeal to your viewer. Always ask: Would they want to see this? Is this useful to them? Be regular and consistent in your posts, while being mindful to not overwhelm your audience. 10

POSTS AND CONTENT STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL POST TEXT/ Include a clear, short caption. Add a call to action or link in the caption when appropriate and possible. Use a live URL (one that users can click). IMAGE/ Consider the use of high-quality, attractive, and relevant images to enhance the performance of posts. Use correct image dimensions to avoid distortion or cropping. Do not distort or stretch photos to fit. (See specification sheet.) If a URL is included in the image, be sure to also include it in the text caption. HASHTAGS/ Consider using an established Babson hashtag to extend your reach. Common Babson hashtags can be found at www.babson.edu/twitter. If establishing a new hashtag to use on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for a particular program or event, be sure to plan in advance so you can thoughtfully promote the hashtag through your various communications. It is recommended to include Babson in this hashtag to leverage the strength of the brand and enhance the exposure of the program. TIMING/ Consider your audience s behavior, as well as what s happening in your audience s community. Think about their typical weeks and daily patterns to determine when is your best time to post content. After you ve posted a few times, analyze which posts did better, and determine if the engagement was due to the timing. Also consider not posting during times of crisis or newsworthy events. PROOFREAD/ Double-check posts before publishing, and follow our editorial guidelines for all posts. MONITOR/ Watch your post for a few days after you ve shared it. Observe engagement and respond to questions.? QUESTIONS? CONTACT COLLEGE MARKETING Unsure if it s an OK time to post? Not sure how to respond to an inquiry from your audience? We re here to help. WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 11

YOUTUBE AND FLICKR CONTENT YOUTUBE AND FLICKR CONTENT To improve search and enable users to easily find your videos and photos, please reference our established taxonomy of naming and tagging these assets. Metadata is for the long-term benefit and findability of the asset and its relation to Babson s online presences. Compiling metadata helps users decide whether to engage with your asset when it shows up in search results. Examples of search results pages where your asset could be presented are Flickr, YouTube, Google, and Babson.edu. For any of these fields below, consider using names of Babson or constituent celebrities if they may be commonly searched for. Important elements include: TITLE: VIDEO The title of the video shows up first in search results; make it count. Put the most important and/or general words in the subject of the video first and add a few descriptive words after. Try to use the term Babson in the title as appropriate. TITLE: PHOTO ALBUM The Photo Album title will appear on the Babson Flickr page and Babson s Mobile App. Provide users the right context for the event or photo slideshow so it will draw their attention to view individual photos. Including Babson in the title is not a requirement. TITLE: INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS The title of the individual photo is what really drives search on Flickr, Google, and Babson.edu. For most cases, some event photo titles can be the same across events but you should call out the high-impact, differentiating photos. DESCRIPTION OF VIDEO/ALBUM Provide 100-200 supporting words to give the video and album context. Tell users exactly what the video or album is about and what the video will show. Be catchy and fun to capture the user s attention, rather than a generically dull description. The more description copy the better (5,000 character limit for YouTube). Add links back to relevant Babson.edu properties when appropriate. 12

TAGS Tags are relevant keywords that describe your asset. You also may try to include high search volume keywords. Think of generic terms that may be used more often in search (i.e. business) rather than more descriptive teams (i.e. phenomenal). (120 character limit for YouTube) Undergraduate Graduate Entrepreneurship Business Education Higher Education Academics Student Life Athletics Event Event Name Dorms Campus Study Abroad (include location i.e. Australia) Arts Health Wellness Global Alumni Faculty Speaker Career Staff BEST PRACTICE ALBUM DESH DESHPANDE ADE VIDEO: http://youtu.be/1xxqou9viey displaying as second video in YouTube search results for Desh Deshpande Title: Gururaj Desh Deshpande Talks Entrepreneurship at Babson College Description: Gururaj Desh Deshpande, chairman, Sparta Group LLC, was inducted into Babson s Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs on April 18, 2012. The evening benefited the global advancement of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. Earlier that day at the Babson campus, Deshpande shared his perspectives on entrepreneurship. Tags: Babson College ADE Academy Distinguished Entrepreneurs Talk Learn Teach Speech Chairman Sparta Group Gururaj Desh Deshpande POLICY ON PHOTOS WITH ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION» No photos with children and alcohol or perceived alcohol» No photos with alcohol or perceived alcohol where it is not permitted (i.e. residence halls, athletic fields other than Homecoming, classrooms, etc.)» No photos of current students with alcohol» No photos of individuals consuming alcohol WWW.BABSON.EDU/MARKETING 13

RESOURCES / FILES AND REFERENCE SITES BABSON COLLEGE MARKETING WEBSITE www.babson.edu/marketing BABSON BRAND GUIDELINES, LOGO AND TEMPLATE FILES www.babson.edu/brandguidelines SOCIAL MEDIA RESOURCES Babson Social Media channels: www.babson.edu/socialmedia Babson Ambassador Toolkit, including Facebook Cover Photos: www.babson.edu/ambassador Mashable: www.mashable.com TechCrunch: www.techcrunch.com Facebook» Inside Facebook: www.insidefacebook.com» AllFacebook: www.allfacebook.com Twitter»Twitter Blog: http://blog.twitter.com TweetDeck: www.tweetdeck.com Hootsuite: www.hootsuite.com HubSpot: www.hubspot.com/free-marketing-resources Contact Us: SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT OR STRATEGY INQUIRIES, AND ACCOUNT REQUEST APPROVALS Vanessa Theoharis Associate Director, Integrated Content Strategy vtheoharis1@babson.edu, 781-239-4422 BRANDING AND LOGO USE Melissa Jolly Art Director, Brand Operations Specialist mjolly@babson.edu, 781-239-4249 EDITORIAL INQUIRIES James Kiley Senior Editor jkiley@babson.edu, 781-239-4276 PROJECT SUBMISSIONS https://jira.babson.edu 12/14_INSTMKT-1595